


The Prison Of Anne Boleyn

by Gallifrey_Immigrant



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 04:26:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7670044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gallifrey_Immigrant/pseuds/Gallifrey_Immigrant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I am queen, and I am happy. But something feels wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Prison Of Anne Boleyn

I stare at the dancing crowd in front of me, feeling oddly empty. It is not right for me to feel so--I am Queen Anne Boleyn, one of the most powerful women in England. My name is celebrated all across England; and where I walk, people run behind me to get a taste of my glory. And I've watched my son, grow before my eyes.

Yet something feels wrong to me. I decided to leave the room. Perhaps what I needed was some air to clear my mind.

"Sister? Is everything alright? " Mary asked. I tried to ignore her, but she blocked my path. "Going so soon?"

_go outside._

The voice startled me. I looked around, but I couldn't see where it came from. My sister raised her eyebrows at me, confused.

"Is there a problem with me wanting solitude?" I asked her sharply. "If you wish to dance the night away, go ahead." I pushed past her, and walked out of the ball room.

I didn't mean to be so rude to her. Something was rankling me. And that voice, it sounded like it had been resounding in my head. It felt so real.

I was so bothered by these thoughts, that I forgot where I was going, and nearly ran down to where we kept the prisoners. I stopped myself, and was about to go back, when I heard one of the prisoners muttering. He was speaking intently, and seemed to be recounting some tale. Perhaps he'd gone mad. The Grinning Men never gave the prisoners much companionship. Curious, I held my ear to the door leading to the cellar, trying to hear what he said.

“In the year 23330, the New Trasks created a generation of advanced Sentinels.” he said. What were Sentinels? 23330?

He continued “These creatures soon developed sentience, and...”

_look up_

“Hello, Lady Boleyn,” said a throaty voice behind me. I recognized the voice. I turned to see the slender bodies of one of the Grinning Men. A wide-brimmed hat covered its head, and a black vest, crisscrossed with tubes, surrounded its chest. Like all Grinning Men, Balial's clothes hung off him, and his skin had a leathery look, like he had been in the sun too long. And, of course, his face was stuck in the same odd rictus grin.

“I was listening to the prisoner. He appears to be saying something,” I said.

Balial's smile changed a fraction. “Silly girl, there is no need to trouble yourself with the mutterrings of fools. Why don't you return to the ball? Horrors indeed if something were to befall you.” He grabbed my arm, and pushed me rather roughly away from the door. I stared into the red eyes of Balial, and knew he was hiding somethikng.

_Ugh, will you just come outside?_

Whatever this voice was, it was getting impatient. With a pleasing smile, I told Belial “I'm just getting a breath of fresh air. I'll be back son.”

“Of course. Don't take too long,” he said. I could feel his smile following me as I walked outside.

Trees covered the countryside. They swayed in the breeze, and the rain coming down was threatening to ruin my dress. My dreary mood was not being helped by the clouds overhead, making everything into a grey miasma.

I was about to go back inside, when I saw a young woman sitting oddly on the grass. She looked at me, and beckoned me forward, and Her hair was as red as fire, and her features were sharp like a hawk, and her eyes had a fierceness to them. When I got closer, I realized what was odd about her position—she was levitating off the ground.

“Who are you?” I asked her.

_I'm Jean Grey._

“And I'm been waiting for you,” she finished out loud. She left her sitting position, and placed her feet n the ground. She had on a blue sweater, with a yellow X on its front. Her accent felt Germanic, but not like any dialect I'd ever heard.

“You've been talking in my head?” I asked. The last thing I needed as queen was to be seen with a witch.

Jean frowned, and said “I'm not a witch. I don't consort with the devil. I'm just...some people are born with grey eyes, but I inherited other gifts from my parents. Anyway, this isn't about me. Did you tell the Grinning Men you were seeing me?”

“No,” I replied. The girl looked behind me, and then quickly looked back.

“Then why are they behind you?” she asked. 

I turned around, and saw she was right. In the distance, I could see two of the Grinning Men staring at me.

She pulled my head back to her, and said “Listen, Ms. Boleyn. You are in a lot of danger, and the only way you're going to get out of it is by listening to me. Do you know about a man called the Doctor?”

I shook my head.

“He'd be very British, and rambling?” she said.

“I've never met him before,” I said.

“Keep your noise down,” she hissed. She took a quick look behind me, and said “Listen. The Doctor and I came here, and got separated. I don't know where he is, but I do know this: those Grinning Men are not your friend. They're keeping you here for trheir own purposes. And unless you find the Doctor, you'll be in a lot of trouble when--”

I felt something grab me from behind, and throw me to the ground.

“You do not belong here,” said Balial to Jean. His hands morphed into blades, and he pointed them at Jean's throat.

“Why are you interfering with our business?” Balial asked. Its angry tone contrasted with its grin. 

“What you're doing here is wrong!” said Jean. “Your business is destroying the timeline. Don't you care?”

Balial shrugged, and replied “It will not affect me, and my clients don't particularly lose sleep over it. Now, you  _really_ MUST leave.” 

Then he sliced at her chest. She placed her hands up in defense, and I thought that she would soon be sliced in half.

Instead, the blade stopped in mid-air. Jean held her hand up, as if she had stopped the blade with her hand, but her hands weren't even touching the blade. I could see Balial struggling with the blade, like he was trying to cut through steel.

“Telekinesis,” said Balial. “That's cheating. I can't even get close enough to cut you.”

_Look in the cellar._

Jean was thinking in my head again. I saw her eyes move to mind quickly, as if to confirm that I got the message. That break in concentration was enough to weaken her invisible grip on the blade, and it sailed through the air. I was relieved to see Jean jump out of the way in time.

“Stop,” I declared. I cut Balial off from Jean, and looked him straight in the eyes. “As queen, I demand you to stop!” 

“Of course,” said Balial politely. Sparks crackled from his blade, and he hit me on the head. Needles shot through my skull, and I went unconscious.

I woke up back on my bed. Mary was standing beside me, looking worried.

“What happenned?” I asked. 

“You walked outside, and didn't come back. We were worried about you, and when we found you, you were unconscious. Methinks you might have had a fainting spell, or perhaps you were tired.”

“What about Jean Grey? Did you see a redhead girl, anywhere?” I asked.

“No”, said Mary. “Please rest. You need sleep.”

“Do not tell me what to do,” I said sharply. After seeing Mary recoil at that, I tried to smile at her. “I am sorry. Becoming queen has been tough on us all.”

I raised my hand to her face, and looked in her eyes. The light shone on her oddly. Her face, just for a moment, looked translucent, like I could see straight through. The eyes on her face seemed empty, and her face looked skeletal, and I could see the bones under skin, and they looked all wrong. I felt a sense of revulsion again.

“Sleep”, said Mary. Her voice sounded deeper, like a large dog. 

I ran out the bedroom. I could hear Mary calling me in her normal voice, but I ignored her. Something was not right. Someone was missing….

Where was my King? I could not remember the last time I met Henry, or even what he looked like. I couldn't remember what was happening in Spain, which was odd for me to forget, as I always kept myself aware of what was going on in the world. Mary and I had never spoken to each other after she went away, so why were we friends now? In fact, when hadshe come back?

In fact, I couldn't remember much of anything.

I looked around, and suddenly everything looked fake. The paintings on the wall felt cheap, the birds outside sounded off-key, the rain pouring on the castle sounded like a dying horse.

“Hello?” I heard Mary said behind me. I did not look back, but ran out, intent on finding out what was going on. I did not want to see what she looked like now.

The cellar. Jean had told me to go there. I had a feeling that I might find my answers there, and so I quickly cut through the kitchen, aiming to go to the cellar door. When I got there, I noticed how solid it looked, compared to everything else. I wrapped my hand on the handle, and tugged the door open.

“Ah, I was afraid you'd come back here,” said. Balial “You should have went back to sleep. I'll have to mindwipe you again.” His hands transformed into blades. 

I tugged the door even harder. It clicked open, but before I could walk in, I was dragged back to the floor. Balial raised his sparking blade again.

A hand hooked around its abdomen, and he fell into the cellar. A man walked up the stairs, and he shut the door. He had on a green velvet frock, and upon helping me up off the ground, smiled.

“Hello, Queen Boleyn,” he said. “I'm the Doctor. “

“Why are you in my cellar?” I asked.

“Oh, don't worry. It was rather comfortable,” he said. “But now, let me tell you a story.”

“In the year 23330, the New Trasks created a generation of advanced Sentinels. These Sentinels gained sentience, and lacking a purpose, decided to work as mercenaries,” he said.

“What are Sentinels?” I asked.

Suddenly, a blade ripped the door of the cellar. It went back and forth, like it was trying to saw through.

“Wonderful question,” said the Doctor. “Perhaps we should take the conversation outside.”

I agreed with him, and we ran to the outdoors.

“Everything here looks so...” I trailed off, looking at the leaves that reminded me of paper.

“Fake?” the Doctor said. “That's because it is. Where was I in my story...ah yes. Sentinels. In the future, humans create them to kill other humans, because those other humans are slightly different. Now, the particular Sentinels in this story grew up in a world where that difference no longer seemed to matter. They decided to use their rudimentary temporal abilities for profit. And their best client is people like you.”

“Me?” I asked.

“Yes, you,” he said. “According to history, you have a very different life, with some unfortunate events. But not here. This is a perfect prison, and I'm here to get you out.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because the alternative is the complete destruction of everything. You can't break history, not one piece. And everyday you stay here, your temporal essence is being drained away. That's why the Grinning Men agreed to your deal—they need that energy to survive.”

“I don't remember making a deal with a devil,” I said.

“People rarely do,” he said.

“How do you know all this? How dare you say my life isn't real?” I fumed. 

The man shook his head slowly. He softly said “Tell me. What do you remember of your son?”

“I...” I started. But, even though I was certain I have a son, I couldn't quite remember him.

“I see it in your eyes...you're starting to see. This life you're leading isn't real. It's time to go where you belong,” he said.

_We need to go._

Both the Doctor and I looked up. Jean Grey floated down, and flashed a smile at the Doctor.

“I was starting to get worried about you,” she said. 

“Worried? Why?” he said innocently.

“Because you're going to die,” said Balial. He had followed us.

“Funny thing about Sentinels,” said the Doctor, rather calm despite the fact we were going to die. “Try as they might, they can never quite fight their initial programming. Jean, it's time.”

Jean nodded, and unclipped a necklace she was wearing.

Balial suddenly stopped, and stared. “What have you done to me?”

“Jean was wearing an inhibitor. It served to block the gene that marks her as possessing her special abilities.”

Balial's smile suddenly looked strained, and its muscles locked in place.

“Despite all your evolution, as a Sentinel, your ultimate objective is still what your creators gave you—the desire to hunt down mutants like her. Now that inhibitor is off, you won't be able to stop yourself from trying to kill her.”

Balial snarled at the Doctor “You won't be able to get away with this! You won't...aaaahh…Mutant acquired: Jean Grey. Objective: Kill her.” With that, he charged after Jean, completely ignoring the Doctor and me.

“Which, incidentally, gives us the diversion we need,” said the Doctor. “Come on, Anne, let's go!”

He grabbed my hand, and took me into the forest.

“What about Jean?” I asked.

_I'll be fine, Anne. Although, I kinda hate you right now, Doc._

The Doctor smiled, but said nothing in reply to that, just kept on leading me further and further into the forest. The sky became harder and harder to see, as if the image was getting fuzzier. Eventually, we came to the edge of the forest, and all I could see was an unnatural black.

“Where happens next?” I asked. 

“You go to your actual life,” said the Doctor.

“What happens there?” I asked. It could not have been good, considering I left it.

“What happens in any life. Good things, bad things”, said the Doctor. I could tell he was hiding something.

“I don't have a son in that life, do I?” I asked. 

“Yes,” said the Doctor, smiling at me. “You and King Henry have a very happy life.”

_Doctor!_

Jean dropped from the sky. She had scratches on her clothes, and her red hair was dirty. The fight had apparently been a struggle.

“You're lying”, she said to him.

He sighed, and looked at me. After a pause, he said “Do you prefer fake happiness, or real sadness?”

“Real sadness,” I said. 

“Then you know what to do,” said Jean.

I walked to the blank wall of darkness, and then paused. Looking back, I asked “Will I see you again?”

“Yes, twice, actually. And then there was that thing with Adric and the train...but don't worry about all that. Have a good life, Queen Boleyn.” 

“Goodbye.” said Jean, waving at me.

I nodded, and walked into the darkness.


End file.
